Legends of the Old West

The Donner Party faces another punishing trip across a desert before it finally reaches the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the border between Nevada and California. The party has lost a ton of time, but the travelers still believe they can make it over the mountains and into central California before winter. They make it as far as Truckee Lake – now Donner Lake – before they become trapped by blizzard...

The Donner-Reed caravan passes the halfway point of its journey to California, and now the real problems begin. After meeting legendary mountain man, Jim Bridger, the caravan chooses to take an unproven road across central Utah. They believe it is a shortcut which will save them hundreds of miles. It turns out to be a disaster, and the trip across the Great Salt Lake Desert leads to a heartbreakin...

In 1846 in Springfield, Illinois, the Donner family teams up with the Reed family to form the core of a caravan that will travel to the rich farmland of California. The problem is, they’re already late. They soon discover that they’re among the very last travelers to begin the journey to the West, and the hardships begin almost immediately. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable sea...

Black Barrel Media and QCODE proudly share a preview of Mission History, a podcast that chronicles the tales of legendary military leaders, epic campaigns, and covert missions that remained hidden for years.  The first season journeys through the American Revolutionary War and pays homage to some of the elite soldiers on both sides of the conflict. It traces the origin from protests to rebellion t...

Noiser presents a brand-new podcast: Real Survival Stories. Hosted by John Hopkins, the show brings you astonishing tales of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary survival situations. In this taster episode, we meet Matt Lewis - a rookie sailor who goes looking for adventure... and finds it. Joining the crew of a deep sea fishing trawler, Matt is on board as the vessel sails out of Cape Town....

A mysterious remedy called “snake oil” became one of the most enduring parts of the Old West. Of all the scammers who traveled the towns of the West selling the magical potion, Clark Stanley rose to the top. He is one of the primary reasons that we still use the label “snake oil salesman” today. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple...

Charles Baggs, who became known as Doc Baggs, followed the gold rush to Colorado in the late 1850s. He quickly decided that there were easier ways to make money than by mining for gold. For years, he ran elaborate cons in Denver, and he always found ways to outwit the legal system. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join No...

A woman who used the name “Lottie Deno” became one of the most successful gamblers in the West. She kept her true identity secret from most people as she moved through towns in Texas, including Fort Griffin, where she crossed paths with Doc Holliday. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Noiser+ for ad-free episodes and b...

In 1872, two men devised one of the most audacious plans of the Old West era. They started a campaign to convince high-profile businessmen that a barren patch of ground was the first diamond mine in North America. It was the scam of all scams – but did it work? Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Noiser+ for ad-free epi...

George Devol spent 40 years gambling on trains and riverboats. He was clever and creative, and he needed all his wiles to escape some close calls. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Noiser+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons. Click the Noiser+ banner on Apple or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started wit...

From Colorado to Alaska, Jefferson “Soapy” Smith made a name for himself as one of the premier con artists of the Old West. He used a variety of tricks to swindle people out of their money, but none was more famous than the soap-with-a-prize scam. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Noiser+ for ad-free episodes and bing...

While the Navajo try to adjust to life at a new home, Kit Carson returns to the army for one more mission. He leads a column to the stronghold of the Kiowa and Comanche in Texas to try to stop their attacks on the Bosque Redondo reservation. Soldiers clash with warriors in the Battle of Adobe Walls, the final engagement of Kit Carson’s career. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable...

Kit Carson begins the chapter that will be the darkest of his life. He follows an order to force the Navajo – by any means necessary – to move to the Bosque Redondo reservation. Carson’s scorched earth campaign works, and the U.S. Army marches thousands of Navajo to their new home in an event that will be known as The Long Walk. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackb...

By 1862, the Civil War has stretched across the continent to the farthest territories of the West. Kit Carson joins the effort in New Mexico and leads a unit of volunteers at the Battle of Valverde. In the next engagement, the Battle of Glorieta Pass, Union forces stop the Confederate threat in New Mexico and effectively end the fighting in the territory. With the war subsiding in New Mexico, army...

While the largest battles of the Mexican American War happen in Mexico, Kit Carson adds another layer to his growing legend during fighting in California. American units put down an uprising in Taos and Santa Fe that threatens Kit’s family, and Kit transforms himself into a rancher after the war even as another war looms on the horizon. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons...

Kit Carson becomes the steady and reliable guide for John C. Fremont’s historic expeditions to California. The first two are relatively routine, but the third takes an unexpected and consequential twist. The exploratory expedition turns into a military campaign to battle Native American tribes and to take California from Mexico. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackb...

Christopher “Kit” Carson is born in Kentucky, grows up in Missouri, and then heads west in search of adventure. He becomes a Mountain Man in the early years of exploration of the West. He marries and begins a family, and then has a fateful meeting with the man who will change his life in more ways than one: John C. Fremont. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel...

This episode is a special preview of the audiobook version of Chris Wimmer’s book, “The Summer of 1876: Outlaws, Lawmen, And Legends In The Season That Defined The American West.” Pre-order the audiobook on Apple Books, Audible, Google Play, Audiobooks.com, and more! Pre-order the HARDCOVER until May 29, 2023: The Summer of 1876 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode about Chris Wimmer’s book, “The Summer of 1876,” he reveals plans for a (mini) book tour and tells a story about the secrets behind The New York Times Bestseller List. (Mini) Book Tour: June 7, 2023 – Deadwood, South Dakota – The Adams Museum June 15, 2023 – Durango, Colorado – Maria’s Bookshop Pre-order until May 29, 2023: The Summer of 1876 Esquire Magazine: The Murky Path to Bec...

Texas Jack’s twin careers are winding down. He wraps up his final hunting expedition in the wilds of the American West, and then launches his final dramatic tour. Jack and Giuseppina Morlacchi arrive in Leadville, Colorado for several months of shows that will be Jack’s last performances. He adds one more heroic moment to his résumé before the end. Texas Jack’s friends and family honor him as a le...

Texas Jack sets the record straight after his honor and reputation are slandered in a newspaper. He leads another hunting trip to Yellowstone National Park, and his trip collides with the Nez Perce as they make their epic run for freedom. Jack races to save tourists who crossed paths with the Nez Perce column, and then he returns to the stage for another tour. But the tour is plagued by theft and...

The successful partnership of Texas Jack and Buffalo Bill ends on good terms, but shock and sadness await both men as the historic summer of 1876 unfolds. After the disaster at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the Army calls the scouts back to the West to help chase Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Then Bill and Jack receive word of the murder of their famous friend in Deadwood. Then, for Texas Jack...

Texas Jack and Buffalo Bill recruit Wild Bill Hickok to co-star in a slightly different version of their successful play. Hickok tolerates the production for a while, but it quickly becomes clear that he isn’t meant for the life of a performer. Between tours, Jack leads a British lord on a hunt through the Yellowstone, but grizzly bears and vicious storms threaten the lives of the party. For the f...

Texas Jack and his good friend Buffalo Bill prepare for the most terrifying adventure of their lives: performing on stage in front of live audiences. They are savaged by the critics for their horrible acting abilities, but the audiences love the production … which is due more to the leading lady than the heroes of the plains. Italian ballerina Giuseppina Morlacchi graces the production with her ta...

John Omohundro grows up in Virginia and serves as a Confederate spy during the Civil War before moving west to become one of America’s first cowboys. He becomes known as Texas Jack, meets Wild Bill Hickok, and then Buffalo Bill Cody. He leads grand hunting expeditions in Yellowstone National Park, and then receives an offer from popular writer Ned Buntline to co-star in a stage play. Jack takes th...